Minnesota Wild: Deadline Deal Would Include Defender
As the trade deadline looms in only 28 short days the Minnesota Wild are faced with a big question of if they should make a move at all. If they did to decide to enter the trade market they may not have much of a choice but to make a trade involving a part of their outstanding defensive corps.
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The Minnesota Wild have two good problems to have as the trade deadline approaches in a month. First is that unlike in years past where they have felt pressured to make a trade to stop the Titanic from sinking, they seem to have a group that is playing well enough to win on an almost nightly basis which makes standing pat a perfectly acceptable strategy. The second problem is that they just plain have too much defensive talent in their system and will have to take a hard look at leveraging it now as opposed to losing it for lesser value later.
In basic terms the Wild are having in issue where in the offseason they will have a hard time keeping all of this defensive talent in place. With a plethora of contracts due this summer across the whole roster and two almost NHL ready talents in the pike in Reilly and Olofsson, you can see where the dance will get complicated. Sure Chuck Fletcher has vowed not to trade away any of this defensive corps, but he might not have a choice.
Jan 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter (20) during the skills challenge relay during the 2017 NHL All Star Game skills competition at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
When looking at the Wild defensive crop in terms of who could be moved it’s best to define first who is untouchable or off the table. That group is Suter and Spurgeon and the rest well let’s say anything can happen.
That leaves Scandella, Brodin, Dumba, Folin, Reilly, and Prosser all vulnerable to possibly being moved. Drill it down a bit further and you can see that Brodin makes little sense for a move considering his better play this season and 4 seasons remaining on his contract. Reilly is still an unknown and a highly touted future star, so trading him now means the Wild might miss out on the player he could become. And Prosser is 30 with a depth player reputation and despite better play this season is not coveted by other clubs.
Jan 21, 2017; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) celebrates with defenseman Matt Dumba (24) following the game against the Anaheim Ducks at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Ducks 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The remaining group of Dumba, Folin and Scandella look to be the possibilities for movement. All of them look to have different qualities that make them attractive.
Folin offers a younger kid on the rise for a potential suitor. The young Swede has had a strong season showing physical and defensive prowess. His regular lineup role has been a bit diminished, really through no fault of his own, but he still is very attractive for a low contract hit, potential for a little more growth, and ability to step onto the right team in a top six defender role.
Dec 29, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Christian Folin (5) grabs New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck (15) after the whistle during the first period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The only issue is that with the cap space being so tight his $850,000 cap hit leaving the books leaves the Wild with limited choices. Taking into consideration the Wild only have currently $807,896 in cap space, a Folin trade might only be able to get them a player who has a cap hit of about $1 million max. That’s not much.
Then there’s Dumba. Dumba is a young player who has drawn past interest from other clubs. He still a very young raw talent and the Wild might not want to part with him so easily. Also he’s got another year on his deal at a manageable $2.55 million hit. But unlike Folin if he moves, he clears some cap space for the Wild that would be enough to acquire a decent forward with that $2.55 million.
Scandella might be the best candidate for movement right now. His $4 million cap hit could acquire a very good forward in return in a money-in money-out trade. He’s had a bit of a down year, but not enough that he’s scare off potential trade partners. Still having 3 years remaining under a somewhat manageable contract is a strength for him to stay or even be dealt if a team wants some contract length.
Even after all this discussion is the looming expansion and the possibility that Las Vegas would take a defender on top of this trade makes some people doubt the ability of the Wild to make a with one of their defenders. The forwards must be kept intact because of the current NHL ready depth. There’s very little options for players who can step into the forward role, and the fact that the forward scoring is so spread out and balanced on the team, you don’t want to remove a piece of that. So, a deadline deal really needs to be a defender. Vegas could take forward considering the Wild will only be able to protect three out of the group of Coyle, Granlund, Zucker, and Niederreiter.
It’s complicated to be sure, but if the Wild want to make a deadline deal it’ll be with defense. Still my gut is that they stay pat with the group they have and look to address any moves in the offseason. The chemistry of the team mixed with the cap situation and expansion makes things very hard right now. If a move is made look for it to be lower role forward which might not cost too much. The Wild really don’t need much else, which is a good problem to have.
